D. A. Waite, Jr. Cloaks the Meaning of Edification

D. A. Waite Sr. claims the footnotes in the DEFINED King James Bible will "act as your "guide" so that you, too might understand "what thou readest." [1]  Actually, the footnotes are guiding you to understand what you read in the vague way The Bible For Today wants you to understand it.

Let's examine what D. A. Waite, Jr. has done to cloak the meaning of the King James Bible word, "edification."

Edification appears four times in the King James Bible:

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. Romans 15:2

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. 1 Cor. 14:3

For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: 2 Cor. 10:8

Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. 2 Cor. 13:10

Webster's 1828 Unabridged Dictionary: Edification

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines edification and cites 1 Corinthians, chapter 14:

n. [L. oedificatio. See Edify.]

1. A building up, in a moral and religious sense; instruction; improvement and progress of the mind, in knowledge, in morals, or in faith and holiness.

He that prophesieth, speaketh to men to edification. 1 Cor.14.

2. Instruction; improvement of the mind in any species of useful knowledge.
Notice that Webster did use the phrase, "a building up" in his definition, but he used other words to specify what he meant by building up: "A building up, in a moral and religious sense."

D.A Waite, Jr. Chose Vague Definition From Greek Lexicon

D. A. Waite Jr. did not define the English word, "edification" in the context in which it is used in the King James Bible. He retranslated it. He went to a Greek Lexicon and chose the most vague definition that was listed. His penchant for retranslating words in the King James Bible does not end here. He did this hundreds of times in The DEFINED King James Bible. (Yes, I counted.)

The DEFINED King James Bible's footnote for edification reads as follows:

Gk towards building up

Edification has a specific meaning that goes perfectly with the context of Romans 5:12, 1 Cor. 14:3, 2 Cor. 10:8, and 2 Cor. 13:10. "Towards building up" has a generic meaning that cloaks the context. Who is right? D. A. Waite Jr.? Or the King James translators? You should not even be thinking along these lines because God has preserved his word in English but that is what The DEFINED King James Bible is all about:

ReDEFINING the way you think about your King James Bible!

I am citing Strong's Concordance because it is a commonly recognized concordance and it does show the various usages of  oikodomē  [2]  (Strong's # 3619) which is the Greek word the King James translators translated as "edification." As you can see, 2a is the meaning of edification:

1) (the act of) building, building up

2) metaph. edifying, edification

a) the act of one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness

3) a building (i.e. the thing built, edifice)

D. A. Waite Jr. is well aware that Lexicons list various usages of a Greek (or Hebrew) word, and he chose the more nebulous definition, "towards building up," rather than making his definition specific for the biblical context by adding "in faith and holiness" or something similar.

• "Towards building up" is a general definition from a Greek Lexicon.

• A specific definition of the English word, edification, would include the explanation that it is the act of promoting another's growth in Christian holiness.

Review

D. A. Waite Jr. did not define the English word, edification. Instead, he cloaked the meaning of edification by choosing a definition from a Greek Lexicon ("towards building up") that is more vague than the English definition of edification.

Notes:

[1] The DEFINED King James Bible (Preface by the General Editor) pg. v

[2]  http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3619&t=KJV

Warning: James Strong's Concordance is a helpful tool that shows the biblical usage of a particular Greek or Hebrew word. (It is not a dictionary.) Never hold this or any other study tool as an authority above the words in the King James Bible.

Complete list of articles:  DEFINED King James Bible: Definitions For Change Index Page